6 days agoCleveland Guardians starting pitcher
Gavin Williams (elbow) successfully threw a 50-pitch bullpen session on Wednesday. Williams said he didn't feel any lingering effects following his first bullpen session since receiving an anti-inflammatory injection, and he's scheduled to throw his next bullpen on Friday. The 24-year-old former top prospect is working his way back from discomfort in his right elbow after being shut down in late April, and it remains unclear when he'll resume his rehab assignment at this point. Williams should still be an option in Cleveland's rotation sometime in June, and fantasy managers who can afford the stash should be holding the right-hander after he posted a 3.29 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 81:37 K:BB across 82 innings (16 starts) for the Guards in his rookie season in 2023. In the meantime, veterans
Carlos Carrasco and
Ben Lively will keep battling to hold down spots in the rotation.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoAtlanta Braves catcher
Sean Murphy (oblique) is scheduled to begin a minor-league rehab assignment next week, which could start as early as Monday. This is a very encouraging development for the Braves, who lost Murphy to a strained left oblique all the way back on Opening Day. The 29-year-old All-Star backstop has remained sidelined with the injury far longer than it was originally anticipated, but he's back on course to get back behind the dish for Atlanta sometime in late May if all goes well. Fantasy managers who have been streaming
Travis d'Arnaud probably should start making other arrangements, but with the veteran slashing a strong .260/.342/.510 with five home runs, 10 doubles, and 16 RBI over 100 at-bats this year, he remains a hold in two-catcher leagues until Murphy returns.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoTampa Bay Rays starting pitcher
Jeffrey Springs (elbow) threw a two-inning live batting practice session on Wednesday and will next pitch in a Rookie-level Florida Complex League game on Monday. It'll be big step forward in Springs' recovery from last April's Tommy John surgery when the hurler returns to game action on Monday, and considering his rehab assignment is on the verge of beginning, there's a chance he'll be built back up and ready to rejoin Tampa Bay's injury-depleted rotation before the end of June. Over his last three seasons (196 innings), the 31-year-old left-hander owns an outstanding 2.53 ERA (3.14 FIP), 1.03 WHIP, and 231:49 K:BB and can be stashed in deep competitive leagues. Veteran right-hander
Zack Littell is functioning as a starter for the Rays for the time being, and he's worthy of streaming consideration when facing a favorable matchup.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoTampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said that second baseman
Brandon Lowe's (oblique) visit with a specialist on Tuesday brought "good news," as the infielder's imaging showed he's healing and heading in the right direction. It's just an issue of pain tolerance as Lowe recuperates from a strained right oblique, but he'll return to St. Petersburg for what the Rays hope to be a short stay. Lowe will then resume swinging and return to minor-league rehab games, and the 29-year-old righty masher still appears to be on track to return to Tampa Bay sometime in late May if all goes well. Before going down, Lowe went 5-for-27 with one home run and four RBI in eight games this year and is only a modest fantasy stash. In his absence,
Amed Rosario and
Richie Palacios have formed a platoon for at-bats at second base.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Marc Topkin - Tampa Bay Times
6 days agoAtlanta Braves starting pitcher
Reynaldo Lopez (back) is listed as the probable starter for Sunday's matchup against the visiting San Diego Padres. After exiting Monday's appearance against the Chicago Cubs following 71 pitches due to back tightness, Lopez is good to go for his next scheduled start and won't need to miss any time. The hard-throwing 30-year-old right-hander has been a pleasant surprise out of Atlanta's rotation over seven starts in 2024, compiling a 1.34 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 40:16 K:BB in 40 1/3 innings thus far during his first season with the Braves. With that said, Lopez owns a 3.72 xERA on Baseball Savant and could be in for some regression at some point. The Padres entered Wednesday's action ranking fifth in the major leagues in both average (.255) and runs scored (211) covering 45 games.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Justin Toscano - Atlanta Journal-Constitution
6 days agoBoston Red Sox starting pitcher
Garrett Whitlock (oblique) looked sharp in Wednesday's minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Worcester, throwing 4 2/3 scoreless innings with five strikeouts while allowing just two hits and one walk. After throwing 40 of his 61 pitches for strikes on Wednesday, Whitlock should be good to go for a return to Boston's rotation as early as Monday's series opener against the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. The 27-year-old right-hander recorded a 1.96 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 17:4 K:BB through four starts (18 1/3 innings) before suffering a strained left oblique, and he should probably be rostered in the majority of leagues with his return on the horizon. Fantasy managers might want to take a wait-and-see approach before activating Whitlock if he faces the Rays in his first start back, considering the hurler gave up nine runs over 9 2/3 frames (two starts) against Tampa last year.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Thomas Nestico
6 days agoColorado Rockies outfielder
Jordan Beck belted his first major-league home run in Wednesday's blowout win over the division-rival San Diego Padres, totaling five RBI during a three-hit afternoon. Filling in for the injured
Nolan Jones (back) at the moment, Beck hit a two-run double off Padres right-hander
Michael King in the second inning before homering in the sixth for two more RBI to get the rout fully underway. The 23-year-old top prospect is still hitting just .235 (12-for-51) with the aforementioned long ball, two doubles, six RBI, and one stolen base across 15 games since his promotion on April 30, so he'll likely need to find more success at the plate in order to avoid being optioned back to the minor leagues when Jones or
Kris Bryant (back) rejoin Colorado's outfield in the near future.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoTexas Rangers third baseman
Josh Jung (wrist) played some catch on Wednesday before the team's game against the visiting Cleveland Guardians. It's the first baseball activity that Jung has done since he had surgery on April 2 to fix a fractured right wrist.
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6 days agoTexas Rangers rookie outfielder
Wyatt Langford (hamstring) ran the arc of the infielder before Wednesday's game against the visiting Cleveland Guardians. It comes after Langford said on Monday that he has been able to run at around 85-90 percent intensity as he rehabs from a strained right hamstring that was expected to keep him out for three to four weeks. The 22-year-old fourth overall pick last year out of Florida began swinging a bat last Friday, but the Rangers aren't going to rush their prized outfield prospect back too soon. In his first 31 major-league games before going on the injured list, Langford went 26-for-116 (.224) with a home run, 11 RBI, a stolen base and 13 runs scored. Despite his slow start, Langford's sky-high upside makes him stash-worthy in all fantasy formats.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Dallas Morning News - Evan Grant
6 days agoThe Chicago White Sox acquired outfielder
Corey Julks from the Houston Astros on Wednesday in exchange for right-hander
Luis Rodriguez. The White Sox then optioned Julks to Triple-A Charlotte, recalled outfielder
Dominic Fletcher from Charlotte and designated outfielder
Rafael Ortega for assignment. While Julks will head to the minors, he's now in a better situation in Chicago to have a shot at playing time at the big-league level later this year. The 28-year-old former eighth-round pick by the Astros in 2017 out of the University of Houston made his major-league debut in 2023 and went 73-for-298 (.245) with six home runs, 33 RBI and 15 stolen bases in 93 games. In 31 games for Triple-A Sugar Land before the trade, he was hitting .266/.358/.444 with an .802 OPS, five homers, 15 RBI and six steals. If he surfaces with Chicago this summer, he'll be worth grabbing in AL-only leagues for his speed.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Chicago White Sox
6 days agoThe plan is for New York Yankees infielder
DJ LeMahieu (foot) to start a minor-league rehab assignment on Thursday or Friday with Double-A Somerset. LeMahieu will need a decent amount of games in the minors since he hasn't played in nearly two months. However, he did get some more live at-bats at the team's spring training complex on Wednesday. The 35-year-old veteran has yet to play in 2024 due to an injured right foot that just hasn't healed completely. LeMahieu had already started a rehab assignment late in April before playing in just one game before he was shut down. But he's ramped up his baseball activities of late and could finally be on the cusp of making his season debut with the Bombers. When LeMahieu finally returns, he'll likely be eased into playing time at third base in the Bronx. The three-time All-Star will be looking to bounce back after a disappointing 2023 season in which he hit only .243 (121-for-497) with 15 home runs and 44 RBI.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Post - Greg Joyce
6 days agoWashington Nationals outfielder
Lane Thomas (knee) is doing some baserunning on Wednesday for the first time since suffering a Grade 2 sprain of his left MCL three weeks ago. Thomas isn't running at 100 percent yet, but it didn't look like he was at much less than full speed on Wednesday. It sounds as though Thomas is getting very close to embarking on a minor-league rehab assignment, although the Nationals could want to see him play in at least a handful of games given his long layoff. Still, the 28-year-old could return from the injured list before the end of May, barring any setbacks. Thomas was hitting just .184 (16-for-87) with two homers and 10 RBI before his injury, but he also contributed 11 stolen bases in just 22 games and was a 20-20 player in 2023. He should not be floating around on the waiver wire in any fantasy league.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MASN Sports - Mark Zuckerman
6 days agoHouston Astros right-hander
Ronel Blanco will not appeal his automatic 10-day suspension, according to general manager Dana Brown. Blanco will begin serving his suspension on Wednesday and will miss his next scheduled start after his glove was confiscated during his start on Tuesday against the Oakland Athletics when umpires found a foreign substance on his leather. The 30-year-old was ejected after three shutout innings against the A's and now won't be eligible to pitch again until May 26. An already beat-up Astros pitching staff will now be even more thinned out over the next 10 days, although right-hander
Jose Urquidy (forearm) is nearing his return. Blanco has been a revelation this year for Houston and fantasy managers, already throwing a no-hitter while sporting a 2.09 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 21 walks and 45 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings over his eight starts.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Chandler Rome
6 days agoSan Diego Padres right-hander
Joe Musgrove (elbow) threw a light bullpen session on Monday, marking the first time he'd done so since he was placed on the 15-day injured list after his May 1 start due to right-elbow inflammation. Musgrove is scheduled for another bullpen on Wednesday, with manager Mike Shildt noting that if all goes well, Musgrove is trending toward making his return during the team's series from May 17-20 in Atlanta against the Braves. Musgrove has had a tough season to this point, sporting a 6.37 ERA in eight starts, but his most recent outing was his sharpest, when he gave up just two runs and struck out nine in six innings of work against the Cincinnati Reds. The 31-year-old veteran still has time to turn things around and should be plucked off the waiver wire if he's available in your league, although starting him this weekend if he returns to face the Braves would be a risky proposition.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoCincinnati Reds left-hander
Nick Lodolo (groin) was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left-groin strain on Wednesday. Lodolo last pitched on Saturday in a loss to the San Francisco Giants, when he allowed four earned runs on five hits in six innings. He felt the injury following a side bullpen session before that appearance. Over six starts in 2024, Lodolo has gone 3-2 with a solid 3.34 ERA and 0.94 WHIP while striking out 43 with nine walks in 35 innings. It's not considered a major injury, but the Reds wanted to put him on the IL as a precaution, especially since he made just seven starts in 2023 with a stress fracture in his left tibia. Fantasy managers should keep the former first-rounder stashed in all fantasy formats for his high-strikeout upside. The Reds haven't named a replacement for Lodolo's start on Thursday against the Dodgers, but swingman
Nick Martinez is expected to get "significant innings" on Thursday, according to manager David Bell.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Mark Sheldon
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